Spinach Baby Food Recipes, Ideas and Information

Welcome to our Spinach Baby Food Recipes section, where we look at how and when to introduce spinach to your baby and explain why spinach may not be the best choice for your little one as an early weaning food.

On this page...

Spinach nutrition facts
When can I introduce spinach to my baby?
Choosing and storing spinach
How to prepare spinach
Spinach baby food ideas
Spinach baby food recipes

Spinach nutrition facts

Spinach contains a broad range of nutrients including

vitamins A, B2, C, E and K
minerals including manganese, magnesium, potassium, zinc and selenium
folates

Was spinach REALLY what gave Popeye his powers?

Those of us who grew up watching the spinach-guzzling sailor on TV couldn't help but believe that spinach was a wonderful, iron-rich food that would give us amazing strength and power!

The truth, however, is that the wonders of spinach portrayed in the cartoon were based on statistics published back in 1870, which mistakenly gave the iron content of spinach as being ten times higher than it really is!

To boost his iron levels, Popeye would have done better eating red meat, chicken or even tuna, from which the iron is much more easily absorbed!

protein
Omega 3 fatty acids
iron
calcium

Spinach baby food recipes It also has powerful anti-oxidant properties and can help protect the body against various types of cancer. What's more, consuming spinach is believed to help lower blood pressure and guard against age-related brain decline in later life.

BUT...

The calcium and iron in spinach are NOT well absorbed by the human body. This means that spinach is NOT a good source of these nutrients for your baby, even though the levels of iron and calcium it contains are quite high.

The problem is caused by the oxalates in spinach, which bind to the iron and calcium, preventing their absorption by the body.

Calcium sources for baby

Iron supplements for infants - are they necessary

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When can I introduce spinach to my baby?

You should - of course - speak to your doctor before introducing spinach to your baby. However, most sources will suggest waiting until your little one is at least 10 months of age to introduce spinach.

In part, this is due to the fact that spinach may be high in nitrates, which may intensify during storage and subsequent reheating. (Visitors from the UK, however, should note that the Food Standards Agency states on its website that UK grown spinach does not contain harmful levels of nitrates).

The American Academy of Pediatrics states in its article Infant Methemoglobinemia: The Role of Dietary Nitrate in Food and Water that homemade spinach baby food should not be given before 3 months of age, which they acknowledge is earlier than solids need to be introduced anyway!

But - if you're still concerned about nitrate levels in spinach - you can further minimize the risk by discarding any water in which you cook the leaves and preparing spinach as needed, rather than cooking it and storing it for future use.

The other reason that spinach is not commonly recommended as an early weaning food is that your baby's body will have difficulty in absorbing the iron and calcium it contains (as mentioned in the Nutrition Facts above). Although you can boost your baby's absorption of the iron by serving spinach alongside foods containing vitamin C, it is far better to look for alternative food sources to ensure that your baby receives sufficient amounts of these vital nutrients.

There is also some research to suggest that the oxalates in spinach may even inhibit your baby's absorption of calcium from his milk.

Spinach, therefore, should not be given to your baby on an overly frequent basis once it's introduced - and, when offering spinach to your baby for the first time - remember to follow the four day rule and watch carefully for any sign of allergic reaction or digestive discomfort.

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Choosing and storing spinach

Spinach, which is related to chard and beets, is separated into three main types -

Flat leaf or smooth leaf, which tends to be frozen, canned, or used in processed foods
Savoy, which is dark green in colour and has curly leaves
Semi-Savoy, with leaves not quite as 'crinkly' as Savoy

If you have the option, then pick semi-Savoy over Savoy, because the leaves are easier to clean!

Look for spinach bunches that have tender, fresh, vivid green leaves - if the leaves are yellowing, then they are old and subsequently less nutritious.

You may wish to choose organic spinach for use in your baby food recipes, although spinach no longer appears on the Environmental Working Group's 'Dirty Dozen' - the fruits and veggies most likely to be high in pesticide residues. This means that buying organic spinach is not as essential as it once was.

Keep your spinach in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper, where it should last for around 4 days (although it's advisable to use it as quickly as possible to make the most of its nutrients). Don't wash it before you store it, as this will make it deteriorate more quickly.

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How to prepare spinach for your baby food recipes

Spinach needs to be washed VERY carefully - even if you buy it pre-packed in a bag that states its 'washed and ready to eat'.

Many of us will clearly remember the huge 2006 recall of spinach in the US connected to an outbreak of E.coli, during which several people died. Since then, safety standards have been tightened considerably and spinach samples are now tested before reaching the consumer in order to prevent such a catastrophe from occurring again. Still, thorough washing of all vegetables and fruits is always prudent!

The best way to wash fresh spinach is to completely submerge the leaves in a bowl of water and use your hands to 'swish' them around, dislodging any dirt. Then you should drain the leaves and refill the bowl with fresh water, repeating the process until the water in the bowl looks clear.

To cook spinach for your baby...

Trim off the roots and chop up any thick stems (so that the leaves and the stems cook evenly). You can chop the leaves now if you want to, or cook them whole and chop them afterwards.

Place the leaves in a cooking pot, but don't add any cooking water - the spinach will cook adequately in the water left clinging to the leaves from the washing process.

Cover the pot and cook until the leaves are wilted and still have a bright colour - this should only take a few minutes.

Chop well (if you haven't already), puree in a blender and serve.

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Spinach baby food ideas

Add chopped spinach to meat or vegetable lasagna
Puree cooked spinach with a little olive oil and fresh garlic, then top with grated Parmesan
Puree with cooked peas and pears - yummy and sweet!
Stir chopped spinach into vegetable soups
Mix finely chopped cooked spinach with cream cheese to make a simple spread or dip

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Spinach baby food recipes - 10 months+

Baby's Creamy Spinach Puree

spinach
breast milk/formula
pinch of dried nutmeg

Simply cook the desired amount of spinach following the directions above.
Add a little milk and nutmeg to the spinach before pureeing.

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Sweet Potato and Spinach Fritters

1 bag of baby spinach leaves
2 sweet potatoes
2 spring onions (scallions/green onions)
3 eggs*
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 to 6 tbsp flour
2 tbsp olive oil

*Some parents prefer to delay using egg white in their baby food recipes until at least 12 months of age.

Wash the spinach leaves and place them in a saucepan. Steam gently until tender, then cool and chop.
Peel the sweet potatoes, then grate them. Mix the grated sweet potato with the spinach.
Trim the spring onions and chop finely. Add the spring onions, parsley and eggs to the veggies. Add enough flour to form a fairly thick batter.
Grease a baking tray with olive oil and spoon the batter on to the tray (around 2 tbsp per fritter).
Bake at 375 deg F (180 deg C) until golden, turning after the first 10 minutes.

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Sweet Potato, Spinach and Tomato Curry

The tomatoes in this recipe contain vitamin C, which will help your little one absorb a little more iron from the spinach.

1 small onion
pinch each of the following:
ground coriander
ground cumin
ground turmeric
chili powder (optional - but some babies love it!)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz (1 cup) sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 ripe tomatoes, quartered.
2 oz (around 1 1/2 cups) spinach leaves, chopped
4 fl oz (1/2 cup) water

Saute the onion in the oil until tender, then stir in the spices, garlic and ginger. Cook gently for 5 mins, stirring often.
Stir in the sweet potato dice, tomatoes and water.
Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the potato is tender and the tomatoes are very 'mushy' (around 15 mins).
Stir in the chopped spinach, remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 mins so that the spinach 'wilts'.
Cool and serve with rice.

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